gem

American  

[jem] / dʒɛm /

noun

1. a cut and polished precious stone or pearl fine enough for use in jewelry.

2. something likened to or prized as such a stone because of its beauty or worth.

   His painting was the gem of the collection.

   Synonyms:

   pearl , jewel , prize , treasure

3. a person held in great esteem or affection.

4. muffin.

5. British Printing.  a 4-point type of a size between brilliant and diamond.

---

verb (used with object)

gemmed, gemming

1. to adorn with or as with gems; begem.

adjective

1. Jewelry.  noting perfection or very high quality.

   gem color; a gem ruby.

gem British  

/ dʒɛm /

noun

1. a precious or semiprecious stone used in jewellery as a decoration; jewel

2. a person or thing held to be a perfect example; treasure

3. a size of printer's type, approximately equal to 4 point

4. a type of small sweet cake

---

verb

1. (tr) to set or ornament with gems

Other Word Forms

• gemless adjective
• gemlike adjective
• gemmy adjective

Etymology

Origin of gem

1275–1325; Middle English gemme < Old French < Latin gemma bud, jewel; replacing Middle English yimme, Old English gim ( m ) < Latin

Example Sentences

Stranger Things is one of the biggest gems in Netflix's crown, and became one of the streaming giant's earliest original hit series in the mid-2010s.

From BBC

According to Carol Woolton, a former jewelry editor at British Vogue, the stolen gems represent a link to the “identity, history, culture and monarchy” of France itself.

From The Wall Street Journal

Who would be surprised at them finding another gem out of nowhere?

From BBC

But the collection’s real gem arrives in the form of “Anthology 4,” in which fans are treated to a host of fresh outtakes spanning the whole of The Beatles’ career as recording artists.

From Salon

Instead, he relished the role of collaborator, seeing himself as a “musical jeweler” concerned with providing a setting for the gem that is a singer’s voice.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• hardware
• jewel
• jewelry
• masterpiece
• ornament
• stone